


I'll Never Let You Go

by green78



Series: Imagine Your OTP: Red Beauty [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-12
Updated: 2013-05-12
Packaged: 2017-12-11 17:11:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/801119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/green78/pseuds/green78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for a prompt on imagineyourotp on tumblr: “Imagine your OTP singing in the shower.” Red Beauty, of course. More Florence and the Machine because reasons. Also, this is completely unbeta’d and written at the spur of the moment, so any and all mistakes and/or crappiness of the story are mine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Never Let You Go

“ _Looking up from underneath, fractured moonlight on the sea, reflections still look the same to me as before I went under…”_

One of Ruby’s biggest weaknesses, though she’d never admitted it to anyone but Belle (and Granny, ‘cause of her just-as-wolfy hearing), was singing in the shower. It was, after all, the only place she would let herself sing. Despite all of Belle’s assurances (and the look of awe on her face when she’d first heard Ruby sing) that her voice was amazing, Ruby had vowed long ago that she would never in a million years sing in front of anyone. Belle had tried on numerous occasions to get her to go to karaoke night at the Rabbit Hole, but Ruby hadn’t budged, one time almost going so far as to hide under the bed. The shower had better acoustics anyway.

The wolf-woman began rinsing the shampoo out of her hair, closing her eyes as she luxuriated in the hot water. She continued the verse as the suds swirled around her feet and down the drain.

“ _And it’s peaceful in the deep, cathedral where you cannot breathe, no need to pray, no need to speak, and now I am under, oh…”_

Ruby heard the footsteps and caught Belle’s sweet scent before the bathroom door could even open. She opened her eyes and grinned as she saw the silhouette of her mate through the glass door of the shower, her mere presence making her heart stumble in its rhythm before picking up its pace. Warmed by her love’s nearness, Ruby closed her eyes again as she ran conditioner through her long, dark locks.

“ _And it’s breaking over me, a thousand miles down to the seabed, found a place to rest my head…”_

She was so caught up in her singing that she didn’t hear the rustle of clothes or notice brush of cool air when the door slid open. She only opened her eyes when a soft, sweet voice joined hers.

“ _Never let me go, never let me go,”_ Belle sang, her eyes sparkling as she beamed at Ruby. _“Never let me go, never let me go…”_

Ruby’s own smile widened, and the way she looked at Belle was so deeply and intensely _loving_ that the shorter woman’s breath caught in her throat. Never pausing in the song, Ruby pulled Belle towards her until they were both under the shower spray. Belle closed her eyes and gave a happy sigh as she pressed herself against Ruby, enjoying the feel of her love’s bare skin against hers more than the hot water cascading over both of them. Ruby softly ran her fingers through Belle’s hair, resting her cheek against the top of her head even as she reached into the wall alcove for the shampoo, working up a lather in her hands.

“ _And the arms of the ocean are carrying me,”_ she sang as she massaged the shampoo into Belle’s hair, the love woven into her voice making it sound all the sweeter and resonate all the more powerfully.

“ _So cold and so sweet.”_ Belle’s voice was almost a murmur as she sang the background, hands reaching up to rinse the conditioner from Ruby’s hair. She tilted her head so that blue eyes met hazel, and it was like they were falling all over again.

“ _And all this devotion is rushing out of me,”_ Ruby continued, taking advantage of a pause to press a kiss to Belle’s forehead. _“And the crashes are heaven to a sinner like me. And the arms of the ocean deliver me…”_

Arms around each other, the two began to sway back and forth – a slow dance to their own music, measured by the beating of their hearts together, the way their breaths mingled in the air and brushed against each other’s skin, and the steady cascade of water around them.

“ _Though the pressure’s hard to take, it’s the only way I can escape, seems a heavy choice to make, but now I am under, oh…”_ Belle took the next verse, never once looking away from the woman who was her everything. _“And it’s breaking over me, a thousand miles down to the seabed, found a place to rest my head…”_

“ _Never let me go, never let me go,”_ Ruby joined in, the impact of the words making her hold Belle tighter. Belle stroked the back of her neck in reassurance, placing a kiss over her heart before taking the chorus.

“ _And the arms of the ocean are carrying me, and all this devotion is rushing out of me. And the crashes are heaven to a sinner like me. And the arms of the ocean deliver me…”_

Lost in each other, their voices merged to sing the bridge. _“And it’s over and I’m going under. But I’m not giving up, I’m just giving in. Oh…slipping underneath. Ooh…so cold and so sweet.”_

Ruby finally broke their gaze, but only to pull Belle closer and rest her head on her shoulder. She trailed her hands up and down the smaller woman’s back, cherishing the feel of her under her fingertips. _“And the arms of the ocean, so sweet and so cold…”_ She pressed a kiss to Belle’s neck.

“ _And all this devotion, I never knew at all,”_ Belle continued, her lips caressing Ruby’s skin with every word.

“ _And the crashes are heaven to a sinner released…”_

“ _And the arms of the ocean…”_

There was a pause in the song just long enough for the two women to share a tender kiss – soft and chaste but overflowing with love.

“ _Deliver me,”_ Ruby sang against Belle’s lips as Belle replied with _“Never let me go, never let me go… Never let me go, never let me go.”_

Their voices merged again, this time in harmony as Ruby took the lower notes and Belle took the higher, alto twining with soprano in a clear, resounding symphony of only two voices amplified by true love.

“ _Never let me go, never let me go… Never let me go, never let me go.”_

Belle closed her eyes as she sang the final piece, lost in the way she and Ruby combined.

“ _And it’s over, and I’m going under…”_

“ _Never let me go, never let me go…”_

“ _And I’m not giving up, I’m just giving in…”_

_“Never let me go, never let me go…”_

“ _Oh… slipping underneath.”_ Belle’s voice easily slid along the high notes as Ruby’s harmony cradled her from below. _“Ooh… so cold and so sweet.”_

They came together one last time, softening as the song reached its end. _“Never let me go, never let me go… Never let me go, never let me go. Never let me go, never let me go… Never let me go, never let me go.”_

Ruby and Belle stopped swaying, but they didn’t let go of each other as the last echoes of their voices faded. After basking in the stillness for another moment, they pulled back just far enough to meet each other’s gaze, both wearing giddy grins.

“I’ll never let you go,” Ruby whispered, resting her forehead against Belle’s.

Belle brushed her nose against Ruby’s. “And I’ll never let you go.”

There was another brief silence before the two women burst into giggles, for despite the eternal truth behind the sentiment, it was still a bit cheesy. They properly finished the shower, then, having meaningful conversations about meaningless topics as each tenderly washed the other.

* * *

When Belle and Ruby arrived at the diner, they found Granny behind the bar and Snow, Emma, and Regina (most likely only tolerated because of Emma’s presence) gathered around what looked to be a tape recorder. When the couple entered, Snow looked up at them and blushed, the epitome of guilt, but Emma and Regina didn’t turn from the device.

“Hey guys,” Belle began, wary. “Um, what are you listening to?”

“You,” Emma, Regina, and Granny replied.

The pronouncement was so startling that it took Ruby and Belle a moment to process it, jaws open and eyes wide. It was a good ten seconds before they regained the ability to speak.

“ _WHAT???”_ they shrieked, running to the bar and nearly knocking over Snow. Sure enough, mixed with the sound of a shower in the background, Ruby and Belle’s voices rang out in Florence and the Machine’s “Never Let Me Go.”

“You guys are _really_ good,” Emma commented. “Especially since this was recorded on a tape and with a shower going. I’m impressed.” Regina chose that moment to quietly sing a little bit of the harmony, and Emma was so stunned that she almost fell off her barstool.

Ruby groaned, burying her head in her hands. “Ok, that’s it – no more sleeping at Granny’s,” she said to Belle. “It’s your apartment or the woods.”

Belle, who had hidden her head in Ruby’s shoulder, grabbed her hand and led her to the door. “Let’s pack.”

“Right behind you.”

The last thing the two of them heard as they fled the diner were the voices of the other women calling after them, insisting that they really should do karaoke at the Rabbit Hole some time.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're curious about the harmonies ~~and because I'm a show-off~~ , here's my cover of ["Never Let Me Go"](https://soundcloud.com/green78/never-let-me-go-cover).


End file.
